( 00. ) BITTERSWEET SEVENTEENTH!

          HER DULL SILVER HONDA SEAMLESSLY PULLED INTO THE DRIVEWAY OF HER TWO-STORY BRICK HOME. Not wanting to bother with getting her vehicle into the garage, the ginger-haired girl parked a few inches before the garage door. Pulling her keys from the ignition, she turned to the back seat where a blue bag sat. She's been babysitting for the Dunbar family for almost four years. Each year, they would get her something for her birthday, despite her pleading them not to. This year it was a treat yourself basket as Mrs. Dunbar described. It was full of face masks, bath bombs, scented lotions, candles, and fuzzy socks.

     Anaya was appreciative of how they always treated her kindly as if she was their own. She would miss being with them as now she wasn't required to be around due to Liam turning fifteen soon. Though, it was probably a good idea because of Anaya becoming a junior this year. Junior year is known for being tedious and intense; all the exams, college concerns, growing demand of classes, and teachers acting more difficult can be extremely stressful for a teenager.

           A bitter feeling overwhelmed Anaya as she proceeded to imagine this upcoming year. In the past, she knew as she began to mature school and life itself would become more difficult, but she always assumed her friends would be there. She thought they would all deal with the stress together, that they would be each other shoulders to lean on. But of course, that was then and this is now — and any naive ideas she once had of being able to depend on others has vanished. As of now, a dull year awaited Anaya, and she's already accepted it.

      Snapping out of her gloomy thoughts, she was eager to spend the rest of the dreadful night overindulging in snacks while binge-watching a netflix series. The girl swiftly snatched her gift and exited the car. The late evening wind nipped at Anaya's willowy frame, blowing softly against her wavy locks as she rushed across her lawn. Unlocking the front door, she discarded her shoes as soon as she walked in. Heading straight towards the living room, her hand trailed along the wall until it found the light switch.

     "Surprise!" Anaya lurched backward as her mother popped up from the other side of the couch.

     Recovering from the shock, Anaya squinted at the giggling woman. "Hilarious," She dryly remarked. Setting her bag down on the small table near the couch, she paused and tilted her head at the dirty-blonde haired woman. "Aren't you supposed to be at work right now?" Earlier this morning, her mother confessed that she was working for the day and couldn't take off, despite her best efforts to do so. Her mother felt terrible about it, but Anaya reassured her that it was okay, and that they would hang out the next day.

     "Yes, but did you think I would miss my baby's birthday? I told my boss that I had to get home, grabbed my things, and walked out that joint." The woman joked. Though, she wasn't surprised when her daughter's skeptic gaze remained unfazed. Rebecca Ashford was not a rule-breaker, she knew that, and her daughter knew that as well. A playful huffed escaped her lips. "You're no fun. I did have a full shift, but Melissa covered the rest for me. Now come hug your mother." The woman opened her arms.

     Anaya rolled her eyes at her mother's antics but walked up to hug the woman. Anaya was extremely tall for her age, almost six feet, while her mother was only about five-six, so she easily towered over her. The ginger separated from her mother and took a moment to scan the living room. There were blankets on the couch, candy on the table, a stack of movies by the television, and her mother seemed to be wearing her fuzzy pajamas. "What's all this?" She inquired, sitting on the armrest of the couch.

     Rebecca clapped as her smile grew. "We are having a Dark Knight movie marathon."

     "Really?" The teen raised her brows, the corners of her lips quirking up a bit. Due to her mother being a nurse, she was gone at work all hours of the day. Not to mention, she was the only real provider for the house, so she had to pick up additional shifts often. From time to time, Anaya would come to visit her and bring her lunch during her break, but she couldn't do that all the time. Most of the time, she was often left alone in this big house with nothing but her tv and her thoughts. Any opportunity she'd get to spend time with her mother, she'll take.

     "Yup." The woman grinned, brushing back her silky locks that slipped from her ponytail. "Now, go upstairs and get clean up, while I make some popcorn." Giving her mother a simple nod, Anaya grabbed her bag and began to advance towards the stairs. "Oh, and one more thing," Her mother called, gaining her attention again. "Melissa and I have a surprise for you in your room. You can thank me later, but don't forget to send Mel a text." With a knowing look in her eyes, Rebecca turned and walked into the kitchen.

     Narrowing her eyes at the departing woman, Anaya jogged up the stairs towards her room. She flicked on the lights, and her eyes instantly found the box sitting on her bed. With a slightly slacked jaw, she dropped her other present and picked up the box to inspect it. It was a Samsung Chromebook; it was the newest model that came out late last year. This new computer was something she desperately needed because her current computer was about four years old and was starting to act strange. She's been meaning to get a new one, but she hasn't saved enough money yet. Her deep-set, cyan eyes glimmered in appreciation as she hugged the box to her body.

     Pulling her phone from her back pocket, she scrolled through her contacts until she found Melissa's number. After shooting her a quick message saying thank you and offering to buy her lunch next time she visits the hospital, the teenager began to get ready for her shower. She was eager to watch the fine man that was Christian Bale.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

     Grabbing a handful of buttery popcorn in her hand, Anaya kept her attentive eyes on the action on the screen. She now bore some sweatpants and a shirt with some fuzzy socks. Not too long ago, the Ashford females had begun their trilogy and were currently thirty minutes into Batman Begins. The female watched as Bruce started his League of Shadows training with Ras Al Ghul. Thinking about how the plot unravels, she couldn't help but relate to Bruce in a way. The man Bruce believed was his friend turned out to be otherwise and she knew all too well about having a bond you share with someone thrown in your face.

     The teenager shifted her attention towards the kitchen, hearing the sound of drawers being shut. Her mother was supposed to be in there getting herself something to drink, but it's been almost five minutes. Pausing the movie, Anaya spoke. "Hey, Mom? What are you doing in there?"

     "Nothing!" The woman replied. More rummages sounded. "I'll be out in a minute!"

     The girl pressed her rough lips together as more noise came from the kitchen. Leaning her head on the arm rest, she decided to wait until her mother stopped making a ruckus to play the movie again. Her small ears twitched at the sound of approaching footsteps, causing her to peer up as her mother appeared in the doorway of the living room with a chocolate cake in grasps. The candle on top illuminating her face in the dim room.

     "Happy birthday to you," Rebecca Ashford's voice sang sweetly as she steadily pranced towards her daughter. "Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Anaya." As her mother moved closer, Anaya could inspect the intricate design of the cake. It was a one chocolate layer cake with chocolate chips around the sides and 'Happy Birthday Anaya!' on top in cursive with two beautiful chocolate roses beside it. Her mother had placed a green seventeen candle on top of the chocolate delight that was brightly lit.

     "Happy birthday to you!" Her mother gave her a lopsided grin as she set the birthday cake on the living room table. Her hand tucked tussles of Anaya's hair behind her ear, before allowing her hand to rest on her shoulder. "Make a wish, baby."

     A genuine smile graced the teenager's face as she attempted to stop the salty tears welling up in her eyes from toppling. It honestly meant the most to her that her mother cared enough to go through all this trouble, just for one day. Especially, for someone like her.

          Leaning forward, she closed her eyes as she considered her wish. Usually, she never really gave much thought to her birthday wishes because she was always satisfied with what she already had, but this year, this year was different. Despite how selfish it sounded to her, she yearned for more. A bittersweet smile took the place of the happy one as she figured out her wish. With a hope-filled heart, Anaya tightened her already closed eyes and blew.

          I want to be happy again.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

     An hour and a half later, they finally finished Batman Begins and were now preparing to watch the next film in the series. Anaya's mom was in the kitchen waiting for their fresh popcorn to pop, while Anaya was tasked with putting the movie in. Though she couldn't seem to find the film. Searching the living room for the third time, she heaved a sigh as the film was still nowhere in sight. "Mom, I think you forgot The Dark Knight."

      "Are you sure?" She heard her mother's silvery voice call over the sound of popping.

     "Yeah." Anaya tugged on her collapsing bun, before walking to the stairs. "It's fine. It's in the closet upstairs, right? I'll just go get it." Without waiting for a reply, she rushed up the wooden stairs. Moonlight emerging from the small window at the end of the hall lit her way as she walked towards the closet. A chill entered her body as her hand made contact with the cold metal knob of the door.

      Twisting the knob, she flipped on the light switch inside. The second-floor closet was basically a junk closet. It had old photo books, board games, old toys, old comforters, a few books, and a bunch of DVDs. Redirecting her attention towards the DVDs, her eyes raked over all the titles. She almost assumed it wasn't in there until she spotted the title on top of a book on an upper shelf. The shelf was high, but due to her long legs, all she had to do was stand on her tippy toes. Putting all her weight on her toes, she reached for the book and yanked it.

     Of course, she yanked too hard as the DVD and book started sliding off the shelf simultaneously. With quick reflexes, Anaya caught the book, stumbling due to its weight. Though, this left her face open for the DVD to bounce off of and land on the book. Biting back a huff, she set the movie aside and was about to reshelve the book, until she took a look at it. It was a large book, similar to the size of an encyclopedia, and bound in brown leather with a blank cover.

     Anaya racked her mind, searching for any knowledge of the book, but she doesn't even remember it being in the closet. A sudden urge to discover what's inside overwhelmed her as her hand ran over the rough cover. Everything else became background noise as her fingers inch to flip open the thick book.

     "Naya!" Her mother shouted from downstairs. Anaya's brows furrowed as she halted her movements and blinked a few times. Her head tilted to the side, blue globes scanning the book again. "Naya, if you don't hurry up by the time you come down here, all the popcorn will be gone!" The mirth in her mother's tone conveys that she hasn't even touched the bowl yet, but nonetheless, her lips still curved upwards.

     "That's not much of a threat mom, you'll eat it all anyway." She teased. Reshelving the book, she made a mental note to return and read it at a later date. Who knows maybe it was another medical book her mother had; she enjoyed reading those. Snatching the movie from the side, she turned off the light, allowing the closet to be engulfed in darkness. Shutting the door, she made her way back downstairs to enjoy the rest of the bittersweet night that was her seventeenth birthday.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

NIYAH TIME!
here's the "first" chapter of happy! it's not much because it's more of a introduction into the story than anything, but we'll get more into season three and the interesting stuff next chapter. please don't be a silent reader — vote and comment! it would be greatly appreciated 🥺.

qotc: how's do you like anaya and her mother's relationship so far?

words: 2169

stay safe,